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context: theatre > kabuki
Origins of Kabuki
Kabuki was started by Izumo no Okuni's all-female troupe around 1603. These women were prostitutes as well as performers, available for hire after the show, which has always been common (and still is in many nightclubs, apparently). It took in folk dance styles (performed sexily), and elements from Noh and Bunraku. There was trouble and violence with the admirers of different troupes fighting, and the government therefore decreed kabuki could be performed by boys only from about 1629. Sadly, there was the same sexual element as with women, and in 1652 it became men only, which it stayed until the late 19th Century, and many troupes are still entirely male. This led to the onnagata, female impersonators. Many lived as women full time (is this the first method acting?), and became fashion leaders. Homosexual liaisons were common.